


bonus round

by futuresoon



Category: Zero Escape (Video Games)
Genre: Fuck Or Die, Mildly Dubious Consent, Multi, Oral Sex, but without the dying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:08:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28246695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/futuresoon/pseuds/futuresoon
Summary: “It is something of a bonus round,”Zero says.“Tailored to the three of you. As I said, death is unlikely. You simply have to choose whether or not to perform a series of harmless actions. If you do, I will grant you a piece of useful information, and you will not be injected with the memory loss drug. If you do not, you will be injected, and lose all memory of this encounter.”(C-Team plays an extra game. Carlos isn't sure how well it goes.)
Relationships: Carlos/Kurashiki Akane | June/Tenmyouji Junpei
Comments: 3
Kudos: 38





	bonus round

Carlos opens his eyes.

He’s in the lounge. All three of them are--lying on the floor not far from the couches, like Zero couldn’t be bothered to move them a few feet to something comfortable. Akane gets up first, scanning the room; Carlos and Junpei follow shortly after, Junpei grumbling something under his breath.

Nothing seems to have changed, besides the fact that they’re not lying on the same part of the floor they were when they fell unconscious. The room is quiet, still, and almost cavernous.

Carlos looks uneasily back at the screen where they made the vote. It doesn’t show anything.

“Does this mean we survived the vote?” Junpei says, following Carlos’ gaze.

“I don’t know,” Akane says with a small frown. “Zero didn’t say where the execution would happen, or what it would be.”

“We should at least check the time,” Carlos says, and taps the buttons on his bracelet.

It doesn’t show anything either.

Just a black screen where there used to be numbers. Carlos feels an icy tingle of fear creep up his spine.

_“Shit,”_ Junpei growls, and presses down on the screen with his thumb, but nothing happens. 

“It’s not confirmation,” Carlos says weakly, but the words fall flat even to him. It means _something,_ doesn’t it? Maybe Zero’s changed his mind about the entire thing and is about to let them leave, but that doesn’t feel likely at all. 

“If it _was_ the vote,” Akane says, her voice very slightly trembling, “then did our plan fail? Did the others not believe us?”

“Or maybe we shouldn’t have put all our trust in a fucking _dog_ that takes an hour to walk across a room,” Junpei snaps. 

The plan should’ve worked. They’ve all spent the last five days together, none of them seemed untrustworthy--and the D-Team leader is _Diana,_ of all people, who always seemed painfully kind and earnest and goodhearted. Could _she_ have betrayed them? Or maybe Sigma or Phi forced her; getting a read on them was harder, so maybe--

Or maybe Junpei’s right, and it was just Gab. Does it even _matter?_

God, they’re going to die here. He’s never going to see Maria again. Junpei and Akane are going to die too, just because they signed up for a project that always seemed too good to be true--

The TV screens in the lounge flicker to life.

Zero appears, the plague mask as enigmatic and unsettling as before. _“I’m sure this must seem alarming,”_ he intones. _“I would like to begin with an assurance. The voting results were in your favor. What you are doing now is unlikely to end with your death.”_

The fear palpably lessens, and Carlos’ shoulders sag. But Zero left something out, didn’t he? “What _were_ the results?” Carlos asks. “Are D-Team and Q-Team safe?”

_“That,”_ Zero says, _“has no relevance to this situation.”_

“My _ass_ it’s not relevant,” Junpei snaps. His fists are clenched at his sides, his voice scathing. “Don’t you want to brag about your little game? Or did it not go the way you planned?”

_“You will be informed of the full results at a different time,”_ Zero says. _“For now, I have a different game for you.”_

Carlos tenses. The last game was bad enough. But if Zero isn’t telling them what happened to D-Team and Q-Team, maybe it doesn’t involve the others. And if Zero will tell them _later,_ he probably isn’t planning on killing them _now._

Unless he’s only going to kill some of them.

_“It is something of a bonus round,”_ Zero says. _“Tailored to the three of you. As I said, death is unlikely. You simply have to choose whether or not to perform a series of harmless actions. If you do, I will grant you a piece of useful information, and you will not be injected with the memory loss drug. If you do not, you will be injected, and lose all memory of this encounter.”_

“That doesn’t sound like a tough choice,” Akane says, her eyes narrowing. “What aren’t you telling us?”

Behind the mask, Zero makes a sound that might be a chuckle. _“This game holds no tricks. Perform the actions or do not. In neither case will you be harmed.”_

“What _are_ these actions?” Junpei asks. He doesn’t look any less suspicious, and neither does Akane. Carlos isn’t sure what to think. Zero doesn’t strike him as a particularly benevolent person, but…

_“Each of the three of you must give an orgasm to one of the other two, and receive one from the remaining person,”_ Zero says calmly. _“That is all. Harmless, yes?”_

Carlos stares at the screen. 

He’s not sure he heard that correctly. The words don’t seem to fit the situation. Then again, the situation’s insane to begin with.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Junpei says, “What the fuck do you mean by that?”

_“I should think it is obvious.”_

Before Junpei can say anything else, Akane speaks up. “I understand,” she says. Her voice lacks the earlier tremble, but it doesn’t sound completely calm, either. “Do we have to decide now, or can we discuss it first?”

_“You have a full ninety minutes to choose,”_ Zero says. _“I am not busy.”_

Akane turns to Carlos and Junpei. She folds her arms, and stands still. “I think we should do it,” she says.

Carlos finds the voice he hadn’t realized he lost. “Just like that?” he says. “You’re not even going to think about it?”

Calmness settles into Akane’s voice. “I’ve thought about it,” she says. “It’s the only logical choice.”

Nothing about this is _logical._ Carlos doesn’t even _know_ Junpei and Akane, not really, not beyond what he’s seen of them in the past five days. Why does Zero want this? What does Zero have to gain?

Junpei’s face twists. “Sorry, but I don’t feel like helping Zero get his rocks off,” he says darkly. “Whatever he’s planning, I’m not going to be part of it.”

Akane holds her forefinger to her chin. “His motivation isn’t the issue here,” she says. “It’s the information. If it _is_ valuable, we can’t afford to throw it away.”

“Yeah, but--” Junpei grits his teeth. “He’s basically _forcing_ us to, and that’s…”

Carlos doesn’t want to think about that, but the thought creeps into his head nonetheless. Does it count as…that, if none of the participants are willing?

Although Junpei and Akane have less to lose, don’t they. “At least it’s not as big a deal for you guys,” Carlos says, a little wryly. “Since you’re already dating.”

Akane purses her lips. Junpei’s face flickers for a moment before returning to his scowl.

“We’re not,” Junpei says shortly. 

“Oh. Sorry for assuming.” Now Carlos just feels guilty, for raising an issue they clearly don’t want to talk about. 

He supposes he hasn’t really seen them being happy together. He’d vaguely assumed they were just going through some personal problems, and they might be calmer towards each other in private. Dcom isn’t the best form of couple’s counseling, but maybe they’d signed up for it before whatever was straining their relationship.

Apparently there’s more to it than that, or maybe less to it than that. 

But he never thought their arguments seemed like two people who hated each other. It seemed more like two people who wanted to like each other, and were angry that they didn’t.

“It’s not your fault,” Akane says. “But back to the matter at hand. What are the consequences for doing what Zero wants here?”

“Well…” Carlos says uneasily. “I mean, if we don’t _want_ to…”

Akane’s voice is firm. “We don’t _want_ to be here in the first place,” she says. “This wouldn’t cause physical harm, and it doesn’t sound like we’d have to do anything with…potential after effects.”

Carlos pushes the concept out of his head before he can even think about it.

“If we have to choose between doing something Zero wants and _not_ doing something Zero wants, I’d prefer the second option,” Junpei says. “It’s not even a question.”

_“I would like to assure you that both outcomes have their value to me,”_ Zero says from the screen. Carlos flinches; he’d forgotten Zero was even there. _“It is a matter of determining your character, and choosing the second option reveals as much as choosing the first.”_

Akane raises her chin. “I think that removes that line of argument,” she says, looking at Junpei. “What others do you have?”

Junpei’s fists are so tight they might almost be drawing blood. “How about ‘the idea of having sex with you makes me physically ill’,” he says in a low, acidic voice.

Carlos keeps looking back and forth between them, uncertain what he can even contribute to this.

The veneer of calm on Akane’s face seems to crack slightly. “I know that’s an exaggeration,” she says.

“Come off it, Akane, you’d think you’d have gotten the picture by now that you don’t know me at all,” Junpei almost growls.

“Do you believe that _I_ want this?” Akane says. “I don’t. But we have to think about this _objectively,_ Junpei.”

Junpei looks at Carlos. “You’ve been quiet,” he says. “You got anything to add?”

Carlos wonders if he’d ever been more wrong than he was when he thought Junpei and Akane had the least to lose here. “I think you two have stronger opinions about it than I do,” he says.

“Maybe, but you’re just as much a part of this as we are,” Junpei says. “If you don’t want to, that matters.”

Carlos hesitates. He’s not sure he’d… _hate_ the idea, exactly. He doesn’t have any baggage with either of them, and it’s not like it would lead to anything. He’ll probably never see them again after all of this anyway, assuming they even survive.

But Junpei doesn’t want to, and _that_ matters.

Akane looks at Carlos. “You _are_ the leader, technically,” she says. “Or at least a tiebreaker. What’s your choice?”

A few seconds of silence fall. Carlos tries to weigh what he knows, but ultimately, it all comes down to Junpei, doesn’t it.

And then Junpei speaks. “…if it helps,” he says, his voice quiet. “I wouldn’t blame you. I probably wouldn’t blame Akane, either. This is on Zero, not us.”

Is that enough to settle it?

They’re both looking at him, both waiting for him. It suddenly strikes Carlos how _young_ they are, comparatively; adults old enough to consent, yes, and they’ve been through a lot, but they’re the same age as Maria, really. 

It’s not entirely rational to want to protect them. They’re not actually children, and he barely knows them. 

But he _does_ want to, he realizes. He wants to get them out of here. They don’t deserve to die in this place.

And right now, getting information is all he can do for them.

“I think we should do it,” he says, as steadily as he can. “If Junpei can accept that decision, anyway.”

Junpei folds his arms and looks to the side. “Fine,” he says shortly. “I can handle it.”

He shouldn’t have to _handle it,_ but…he doesn’t look angry any more, at least. Just tired.

“It’s settled, then,” Akane says. She looks up at Zero. “We’re taking the first option,” she says.

_“An interesting decision,”_ Zero says. _“I shall give you some time.”_ The screen winks out.

“Like he won’t be watching the whole thing,” Junpei mutters.

Akane looks back at the two of them. “Well,” she says. “I suppose we should establish what exactly we’re going to do.”

“Not all the way,” Junpei says immediately. Carlos nods; they don’t exactly have any protection on them.

Akane nods. “Something less messy would be preferable,” she says. “I think oral would be the easiest.” There’s no way she’s as calm as she sounds, but she’s doing a good job of faking it.

“Sure,” Junpei mutters. Carlos nods again. Talking about it is surreal; he’s grateful she seems to be taking the initiative.

“Any opinions on who does what?” Akane asks.

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” Carlos says honestly. He doesn’t like either of them more than the other, although even if he did it’d be awkward to bring it up.

Junpei shakes his head.

“Very well,” Akane says. “Let’s go sit down, then.” She gestures towards the couches, and all three of them take a seat, Carlos and Akane on a couch; Junpei sits on the edge of the table facing them, like before, but then seems to hesitate for a moment before moving to sit between them instead.

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Carlos doesn’t know what he should be doing, if they’re going to start this second or the next second or the next second, if he’ll even be involved in the first round.

“I’ll start,” Akane says briskly, and gets on her knees in front of Junpei.

Junpei flinches, and a moment passes before he spreads his legs. He doesn’t look at her. He doesn’t look at Carlos, either, which is a relief.

Akane undoes the fly on his jeans and leans in, pulling his cock out of his boxers. He’s not hard yet, even with her hands on him.

Still looking away, Junpei says, his voice rough, “You do this a lot?”

“It’s not really any of your business what I do,” Akane says, and delicately licks the head of his cock.

Junpei shudders and closes his eyes, one hand digging into his upper thigh and the other into the top of the couch. His posture is tense as a wire.

Akane closes her eyes too, lapping at Junpei’s cock in a way that does make it seem like she’s done it before with someone else. One of her hands is wrapped around the base of his cock, the other resting on his inner thigh.

Carlos really should look away.

He really should.

They’ve both got their eyes closed, though, and anyway they didn’t _say_ he shouldn’t look. It’s a flimsy excuse and he knows it, but it’s enough for him to justify watching the quiet spectacle.

Akane licks a stripe up the shaft of Junpei’s cock. Junpei’s mouth is shut tight, but there’s a slight tremble to his shoulders.

Even if Carlos doesn’t know Junpei all that well, he doesn’t strike him as much of a prude, or a person who gets especially nervous about anything. So his reactions here are unlikely to be from discomfort with sex. Judging from what Carlos knows about the two of them now…

Junpei and Akane’s relationship seems like an iceberg he’s barely seen the tip of, or maybe a minefield with no clear path for him to walk on. Maybe it’s a minefield for them, too.

He _really_ should look away.

Akane’s taking the head of Junpei’s cock into her mouth, moving back and forth slowly a little at a time. Junpei’s breathing is slowing down a little, like maybe he’s forcing himself to relax.

Seeing Junpei so uncomfortable isn’t much of a turn-on, so Carlos is grateful for it. And then immediately wonders what’s wrong with him, because he shouldn’t even be thinking about this in terms of what _he’s_ into; this isn’t about him at all, he shouldn’t even be here. He’s intruding on something he has no part in. Whatever Junpei and Akane’s relationship is, it’s theirs, not his.

Then again, he’s still looking at them. He lost the moral high ground a while ago.

With Junpei losing some of that tension, the scene takes a different tone. His mouth parts slightly, his fingers aren’t digging in quite as much. A small soft noise falls from his lips.

Carlos’ pants are starting to grow tight. It’s not physically uncomfortable, but mentally it doesn’t make him feel great. 

Akane’s taken more of Junpei’s cock in her mouth, moving faster now. Carlos tries to imagine he’s watching porn, but porn is usually louder and Junpei’s a lot scrawnier than the guys that show up in those. And the vibe’s completely different, anyway, strange and uncertain. It feels like it could go a lot of different ways. Most of them are sad.

Junpei’s breath is heavy, interspersed with more of those soft sounds. Suddenly, his eyes flicker open; Carlos has a moment of fear that Junpei will notice him watching, but Junpei seems entirely focused on Akane. His eyes are lidded and soft. It’s subtle, but his expression is almost reverent.

He looks deeply vulnerable, and that makes the guilt rise high enough that Carlos finally has to look away.

Carlos doesn’t see what it looks like when Junpei comes, but he does hear it, the sharp inhale and shaky moan. He drags his eyes back to see the aftermath. Junpei is leaning back against the couch, panting, and Akane pulls back, Junpei’s softening cock sliding out of her mouth. She must’ve already swallowed. She wipes her mouth on the back of her hand, as delicately as you can when you’re doing that.

“Akane,” Junpei says softly, but he doesn’t follow it up with anything.

Akane takes a deep breath. “That wasn’t so bad,” she says. Her lips are red.

Junpei gives a small, awkward laugh. “The words every guy wants to hear,” he says.

Akane glances over at Carlos, and suddenly it’s the first time either of them has acknowledged he’s here. He swallows, uncertain if he should say something.

“I believe it’s your turn now,” Akane says, very steadily. “Since the rules stipulate that each person has to both give and receive, you should go down on me.”

Right, Carlos _is_ part of this, actually. His mouth is suddenly dry.

Akane takes a seat on the other side of the couch, already hiking up her dress and hiking down her underwear. Carlos vaguely wonders if the shelter has a cleaning staff.

He stands up and walks over to her, kneels down in front of her. He wants to know Junpei’s reaction, but they’d definitely notice if he looked now.

And then he’s faced with her bare cunt. It doesn’t look very different from the few others he’s seen, but those times were all with women he was already dating, or trying to date during those rare periods he thought he’d have enough space in his life for both Maria and someone else. This is the first time he’s had sex with someone he doesn’t really know.

His heart’s beating faster, but not from anticipation. He hopes it isn’t fear, at least.

Carlos realizes she’s already wet. Which makes it easier, but sends a coil of guilty desire through him at the knowledge that it sort of makes him connected to what just happened after all.

He can’t let himself overthink it, or he’ll just feel worse about the whole thing, so he just grips Akane’s inner thighs and leans in to lap at her.

He can feel a slight shiver from her. Nerves, or discomfort, or pleasure? It’s hard to tell. Whichever it is, he has to keep going. 

But even as he runs his tongue across her cunt, he can’t help thinking. Akane said she didn’t want this. She was pragmatic about it, insistent that they had to, but she’s probably not thrilled about having sex with him, probably wasn’t even especially into having sex with Junpei. He knows she doesn’t blame him and won’t be mad at him, but the thought curdles inside him that he’s still hurting her by doing this. 

Did Akane think that, when she was going down on Junpei? Maybe she was better at focusing. 

Carlos hears Akane’s breath get a little heavier as he continues. She might be holding back, like Junpei was initially, or maybe she’s just quiet; it’s not like he’d know. He suddenly wonders where she’s looking. Are her eyes closed? Is she watching him? God, maybe she’s looking at Junpei.

Where’s _Junpei_ looking?

The questions aren’t important. He gently flicks his tongue against her clit.

The other people he’s slept with were more responsive--stop _thinking._

He tries to think about how she’s a beautiful woman, instead, smart and dedicated and extremely attractive. She was always nice to him in Dcom, nice to basically everyone she didn’t seem to already know, and he never thought about her romantically, but if he’s objective about it she seems like a person he’d enjoy dating.

So he tries to imagine that they _are_ dating, and this is just normal sex. Afterwards she’d probably go down on him and then maybe one of them would make dinner, or if was already after dinner they’d go to sleep together in a more literal sense. A nice, normal relationship.

It doesn’t really work.

It feels like it takes an eternity, but finally she makes a small sound and shudders. Then she puts a hand on his shoulder and gently pushes him back. He sits back on his heels, and before he can think twice about it he meets her eyes.

Akane’s face is a little red, her lips parted as she still breathes hard. She doesn’t look unhappy, but she doesn’t look relaxed, either.

Suddenly, he wants to kiss her. Not that he’s ever had a one-night stand, but he thinks even if he did he’d still kiss whoever it was with, still want that fraction of intimacy. But it doesn’t feel right to do that now. 

Still, he wants to.

Carlos rubs the back of his neck. “I hope that was okay?” he asks awkwardly.

“It did the job,” Akane says. Well. Okay. He supposes that’s the best he could hope for.

He glances over at Junpei, and sees him looking at the opposite wall, arms folded. There’s no way for Carlos to know if that’s how he was during it, but he’s not going to ask.

“Guess it’s my turn, huh,” Junpei mutters, and turns back to look at him.

Akane rearranges her clothes while Carlos sits back down on the couch. He feels queasy, maybe more so than when he was going down on Akane. At least with her he could tell himself she was compartmentalizing; he doesn’t know if Junpei’s any good at that.

Junpei slips off the couch and kneels in front of him. Carlos opens his legs and wonders if he should at least pull down his fly himself, reduce what Junpei has to do, but maybe Junpei needs the illusion of control over the situation. Before Carlos can ask, not that he’d really know how to, Junpei just does it, expressionless.

Carlos is still hard, both from watching and from participating, but it’s not as intense as it usually would be by this point. That’s what guilt and discomfort does to you, he supposes. Junpei pulls out his cock with no more expression than before, and Carlos’ queasiness amplifies.

“Sorry if I’m not great at this,” Junpei says, not meeting his eyes. “But hey, I figure there’s no such thing as a bad blowjob.”

Carlos gives an awkward smile on reflex. “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” he says, a little inanely. The one time he dated someone who didn’t have much experience, they were both in high school and he didn’t have any either; he’s not sure how to react to it beyond general politeness.

Junpei doesn’t respond. He just takes a deep breath and leans in.

The first touch of Junpei’s tongue against his cock is both electrifying and uncomfortable. Carlos still can’t really get it out of his head that Junpei doesn’t want to do this, probably isn’t enjoying this. Junpei seemed to enjoy having sex with Akane, at least eventually, but that’s different; Carlos is basically a stranger to him. Carlos doesn’t know if Junpei’s had sex with a guy before, even. God, how awful would it be if Junpei was straight? 

But at the same time, that cautious glide of wet heat is almost enough to make Carlos forget all that.

He closes his eyes and tries to do the same mental trick he did with Akane, even if it didn’t really work last time. Junpei’s attractive in a scrawny sort of way, and when Akane wasn’t around in Dcom he was more sarcastic than angry, more a person with a chip on his shoulder than a person hiding something awful. It’s harder to imagine being in a relationship with him, but not impossible.

Carlos’ dated a couple guys, and enjoyed it well enough; in both cases he only broke up with them because he couldn’t evenly split his attention between them and Maria. But maybe this relationship is different. Maybe Junpei’s discomfort is because he’s just nervous about not having dated a guy before, and when Carlos reciprocates the mood will completely change and they’ll both laugh about how it wasn’t that big a deal after all. 

Carlos can still taste Akane on his tongue. He can still hear her breathing on the other side of the couch. He can still feel the weight of the bracelet on his wrist, and feel Junpei’s bracelet pressed against his thigh. Imagining doesn’t work this time either. 

Junpei licks up to the base of Carlos’ cock before taking the head into his mouth. Carlos realizes Junpei must be trying to copy what Akane did. He doesn’t know if it’s just because that’s Junpei’s closest frame of reference, or because Junpei enjoyed what Akane did and wants Carlos to enjoy it too, but either way, it’s strangely endearing.

Carlos is usually a little more vocal during sex than they just were, but he’s not sure if it would help any or just make them think he’s enjoying it more than they were. He bites back a moan, just in case.

It’s been a couple years since his last relationship, which only lasted a few months anyway. Maybe that’s why the wet heat of Junpei’s mouth feels so good even through the discomfort. It’s a little sloppy, unpracticed, but enough to send waves of pleasure through Carlos’ body, and he kind of wants to tell Junpei he’s doing a good job, but it feels like that would be a bad idea.

Junpei swirls his tongue around Carlos’ cock in another move he probably copied from Akane, and even if Akane was probably better at it it still sends more heat coiling at Carlos’ groin. He holds back another moan and resists the urge to buck his hips; it’d probably make Junpei gag a little. Then he finds he doesn’t mind the image as much as he should, and feels a rush of guilt.

Carlos can’t help cracking open his eyes, just enough to see if Junpei looks okay. It backfires, though, because the sight of Junpei on his cock makes his stomach twist with heat. It’s a sight he hasn’t seen in a while, and an intimacy he honestly wasn’t sure he’d experience again for a long time. He couldn’t see Akane’s face, but here…

Junpei’s eyes are closed, of course. He won’t know Carlos is watching. 

Suddenly Carlos wants nothing more than to rest his hand on Junpei’s head, stroke his hair. He knows he shouldn’t. It’d break the tenuous unspoken agreement that all of this is just about achieving orgasm, no attachment, just doing the bare minimum to get through it.

The knowledge that he shouldn’t makes him feel a little hollow. He’s not used to thinking about sex so…mechanically, and he doesn’t like it at all.

He glances over at Akane, wondering if her discomfort is visible, even though he knows it’s not his place to see.

And he realizes she’s watching.

Her eyes are open and her face is blank and she’s looking straight at him, any guilt packaged away where it doesn’t show. His heart rate skyrockets. 

And yet there’s another unspoken agreement: she knows _he_ was looking, and if either of them tries to call out the other on it, both of them will go down. Which is a surreal way of thinking about it, honestly, but this whole thing is surreal.

What’s she thinking about? What are her thoughts on what she’s seeing?

Neither of them say anything, and Akane still doesn’t look away. Carlos does first, closes his eyes and tries to focus on Junpei again, feeling guilty that his attention strayed at all.

If there’s a saving grace to having not done this in a while, it’s that it doesn’t last much longer. He feels it building and manages to say “Junpei,” as a warning, before failing to hold back a low moan and spilling into Junpei’s mouth.

Junpei’s face twists, and Carlos can see the movement of his throat as he swallows. 

Then Junpei pulls back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and still not meeting Carlos’ eyes. It sends another painful twinge into Carlos’ chest. Another harsh reminder of how little Junpei wanted to do this.

Junpei stands up and looks at the nearest TV screen. “Was that enough?” he says, his voice rough. “Or did we not give a good enough performance for you?”

The screen flickers, and Zero appears on it once more.

_“The purpose has been achieved,”_ Zero says. _“I commend the three of you for your adaptability. It may serve you well.”_

Akane stands up too; Carlos follows suit, awkwardly rearranging his clothes. “What about your end of the deal?” she asks. 

_“The useful information, yes,”_ Zero says. _“You’ve certainly earned it, so I shall give it to you.”_

The air seems still and silent for a moment. Carlos finds himself holding his breath.

_“At least one of the other teams continues to trust you,”_ Zero says.

Another moment passes.

“What, that’s it?” Junpei says incredulously.

Carlos’ stomach falls. That barely seems like anything; they might’ve been able to figure it out on their own. Was doing all this worth it for just that?

Akane purses her lips. “I see,” she says. “I hoped for something more, but that’s not nothing.”

Junpei turns to her with a disbelieving look on his face. “How is that _useful?”_ he says. “If the vote worked out, then we already _know_ that.”

Akane shakes her head. “If it worked, it’s because we were able to communicate,” she says. “We don’t know if that will still be an option for whatever comes next. It might be more complicated than the vote, too. Knowing there’s at least one team that isn’t willing to kill us to save themselves might be incredibly valuable.”

“…fine,” Junpei says, his shoulders slumping. “I guess you’d know a thing or two about how mind games work, huh.”

It doesn’t sound like a compliment.

_“There is some time before the ninety minutes are up,”_ Zero says. _“You may do as you wish until then.”_ And the screen flickers out once more.

For a few moments, the lounge’s atmosphere feels thick and almost sticky with discomfort. Akane’s argument is a good one, but Carlos doesn’t feel like they won anything.

Akane looks so perfectly composed Carlos is positive she’s pretending. Junpei looks like he’d bolt from the room if he could. Carlos doesn’t know what he looks like, but he doesn’t think it’s happy.

“I know that was rough, and saying something could’ve been worse doesn’t always help,” Carlos says quietly. “But miserable and alive is better than miserable and dead, I think.”

“Exactly,” Akane says, nodding.

“Whatever,” Junpei mutters. He crosses his arms. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

And Carlos can’t really disagree with that, so he sits back down and exhales, staring at the floor.

Akane sits at the other end of the couch. Junpei stays standing.

A matter of determining their character, huh. Carlos isn’t sure what good that does Zero. But then, the vote was kind of about that, too; maybe everything in this place is some kind of demented character analysis. Maybe the vote wouldn’t even have mattered and all the teams will survive regardless. Maybe it’s just a really shitty idea Dcom had and he should’ve read the contract more closely.

Or maybe they’re going to die here and one of his last memories will be being forced to have sex with near-strangers who didn’t want it any more than he did.

And then a strange thought flickers into Carlos’ head.

Nothing fully-formed, no detailed images. Just the sensation of something layering itself over and over like pages in a book, something thin and fragile gaining density through sheer volume. A thousand tiny pieces coming together to form a heavy weight.

He looks at Akane and Junpei and he feels--

A weight he doesn’t understand.

A complexity greater than there should be for how little he knows them. Horror and sorrow and determination and pain, pain, pain condensing into a deep and profound attachment that seems out of nowhere but isn’t, isn’t, isn’t.

Carlos realizes, with a strange sort of clarity, that he’d die for them if he had to.

Which doesn’t make _any sense--_ but even as the thought fades, the weight remains.

He breathes out, and in. The situation doesn’t get any easier. If anything, looking at them now feels worse; it feels much more painful to see them hurting. 

“Hey,” he says quietly. “We’re gonna get through this, okay? One way or another.”

Akane and Junpei look at him. 

“One way or another,” Akane echoes. There’s a slight softness to her voice that wasn’t there before.

“Guess I’ll hold you to that,” Junpei says drily. His shoulders seem just slightly looser.

And Carlos feels better, too, at the sight of them being even slightly happier.

He still doesn’t know _why,_ but…

He’ll deal with it later, after they get out of here. Which they _will,_ somehow, even if he doesn’t know how.

And whatever happens after that--he doesn’t know that either, but somehow, he thinks it might be okay.


End file.
